Hog Production in Canada

With revenues amounting to over three billion Canadian dollars (see Table 3), the pork sector accounts for 30% of total livestock shipments and for 10% of all farm cash receipts.

Hog production is a vital component of Canada's agricultural economy. Each province shares in this production in quality and in volume (see Table 1). Canada is favoured with adequate grain production allowing for selective, controlled feeding and with reasonable feed costs.

Virtually all commercial hog production in Canada takes place in a controlled environment which implies that, at all times of the year, animals are kept in buildings specialized to the farrowing, growing and finishing stages of raising market hogs. The most common hog production unit today is a specialized farrow-to-finish operation of 200 to 250 sows, which can be managed efficiently by a single family.

Farrow-to-finish reduces significantly productivity losses associated with stress of movement, adaptation to new environments, changing feed regimes and transmission of diseases. Also, producers can monitor the performance of animals through to maturity, thereby observing final results of breeding programs and other management practices.

Healthy quality breeding stock is the cornerstone of our hog industry. A strong infrastructure is in place and working in Canada to co-ordinate the ongoing program of swine improvement. In 1984, Canada introduced a sow productivity and management system and for the last three years, our sow productivity improved 11 % compared to other leading hog producing countries recording increases of 1% to 2%.

ORIGIN OF FEDERALLY AND PROVINCIALLY INSPECTED HOG
SLAUGHTER IN CANADIAN PACKING PLANTS 2016

Hogs

British Columbia

208,7467

Alberta

2,233,435

Saskatchewan

1,701,899

Manitoba

4,579,551

Ontario

5,256,520

Quebec

7,219,418

New Brunswick

10,120

Nova Scotia

11,540

Prince Edward Island

42,331

CANADA TOTAL

21,263,560

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Provincial Governments as compliled by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Animal Industry Division) Note: Newfoundland and Labrador data not available